[Descent Concluded]
[Calculating results for this descent—
Settlement as follows:
Explored the creatures of Lotus Valley, gaining 16 exploration points. Discovered Autumn Moon Forest, a special location in Lotus Valley, gaining +6 exploration points. Discovered a wondrous item from Lotus, gaining +3 exploration points.
Discovered a deity of Lotus Valley, activating their character panel and receiving a bonus of 50 exploration points.
Exploration settlement in progress...
Received the following rewards for this exploration:
1: Soul Strength +3.12: Gained +2 special character favorability, unlocking their personal information.3: The special character shared her insights with you, granting a special item—the Nine-Tailed Spirit's Contract.
Congratulations, Summoner.]
The exploration success rate was high, yet soul strength only increased by 3.1. Still, Leo wasn't surprised; he'd noticed during the last soul strength gain that exploration points didn't simply stack linearly with soul strength.
But Ahri's personal information and the Nine-Tailed Spirit's Contract?
Leo first checked his own panel.
[Name: Leo][Race: Human Soul][Soul Strength: 10.4 (Scattered Soul)][World Exploration Progress: 1.5%][Current Items: Nine-Tailed Spirit's Contract]
Glancing at his item slot, Leo saw a stone imprinted with a fox paw print. He took it out and read its information.
[Nine-Tailed Spirit's Contract (Bound)][Quality: Red (Mythical)][Usage Level: None][Effect: Charm increased, Affinity increased][Description: A powerful deity, intrigued by you, has left their mark. But is being watched by a deity truly a good thing?]
"Charm, affinity?"
Leo toyed with the Nine-Tailed Spirit's Contract, then chose to use it.
Although the description warned that being noticed by a deity might not be a good thing, for Leo, he needed to grow stronger, to change Zaun. Power was indispensable, and the Spirit Blossom realm was his reliance. Besides... being marked by Ahri was surely better than being marked by Thresh, right?
Leo now felt fortunate. Damn it, it was a close call when Ahri intervened; if Thresh had marked him, could he still have returned to the Spirit Blossom realm?
That old geezer!
Opening the character panel, Leo looked. Besides the lit-up Thresh, there was Ahri, dressed in a long gown, her hand emerging from a pink sleeve, playing with a gem, a charming smile gracing her face.
Leo reached out, touching Ahri's image. Her personal information panel appeared.
[Lotus Valley—Ahri][Soul Strength: ???][Personality: Gentle, kind, cheerful, with an intense curiosity about this world.][Likes: Hearing untold stories, meeting unseen souls.][Stage: Encounter][Status: Guiding a newly reborn soul toward the right path.]
It was different. While Ahri's soul strength still wasn't displayed, new entries for "Personality" and "Likes" had appeared.
Was this a subtle hint on how to gain Ahri's favor?
She likes hearing stories...
Leo wondered if it was possible to bring things from the outside world into the Spirit Blossom realm. If so, bringing Ahri some books would probably make her happy.
Looking at Ahri's personality description, Leo felt relieved.
An Ahri like this, how could she ever harm him?
Leo could already imagine Thresh's personality: definitely reclusive, gloomy, perverted!
The thought of Thresh instantly ruined his good mood. Leo muttered curses as he closed the panel and exited the Spirit Blossom realm.
He still had one more descent opportunity, but there was no need to rush. The three points of soul strength he'd gained this time had already brought about another qualitative change in him.
He could feel the obvious changes in his body. To put it simply, Leo estimated his speed was at least twice as fast as before, and his strength perhaps double?
Bending a five-centimeter steel plate with bare hands... yes, it wasn't impossible.
Remember, the weapons Jinx made could barely break a two-millimeter steel plate. His current strength was truly superhuman.
Not to mention he could walk sideways through the Upper and Lower Cities, but if Leo were alone, could anyone really stop him from doing what he wanted?
If there was anyone... perhaps Camille?
And the unknown Zaunite deity, who hadn't made a sound and only appeared in murals?
With these thoughts, Leo awakened in the material world.
As soon as he stood up, he twitched his ears, hearing sounds from outside.
With soul strength exceeding ten points, Leo's five senses had also been enhanced. Though inside the tent, he could hear the commotion outside.
"That's Powder!"
"We need to get there quickly. Go call Leo!"
"Vi, calm down. I'll go get L—"
Marsen couldn't finish his sentence. Then, he stared blankly at Leo, who had suddenly appeared before him, startled. "My god, Boss, when did you get here?"
"Just arrived. What happened?" Leo looked at Vi.
Vi, seeing Leo appear out of nowhere, was also bewildered.
She'd clearly watched Leo go into the tent twenty meters away, and when she'd spoken to Marsen, she even pointed to the tent. But now... Leo was standing right here?
What was going on?
But Vi didn't have time to dwell on it. She looked at the faint blue smoke appearing in the distance, even in daylight, and said, "That's Powder, that must be Powder. That's the flare I gave her. We need to go find her now."
Vi's face was etched with anxiety.
Though she'd been arguing with Jinx just yesterday, now that Jinx might be in trouble, she was the most restless of them all.
Leo looked up and saw a small patch of blue smoke continuously appearing some distance from the Lotus Gang's stronghold.
"Marsen, didn't I tell you to assign people to protect Jinx?"
"Boss, Light and Marvin, who were sent out, lost her. She shook them off with Isa," Marsen explained.
Leo didn't blame Marsen further. After all, that was Jinx.
If she could actually stay put, there wouldn't have been so much trouble in the Twin Cities.
Being settled wasn't in her nature.
"Alright, I understand. Get everyone up, grab your weapons. I'm heading over now."
"Wait, take me with you!" Vi reached out and grabbed Leo.
Leo hesitated for a moment, then wrapped an arm around Vi. "I'm very fast. You need to be ready."
Vi instinctively started to protest but then remembered Leo's sudden appearance. She nodded and said, "I'm ready, just—whoa!"
A blur flashed past. Marsen closed his eyes, coughing, and when he opened them again, he stared dumbfounded at the shadow already dozens of meters away, darting across rooftops, his mouth agape.
"What the hell?!"
Seriously, he knew Leo was strong, but... was this still human?
Could that strange alchemical can-man who wiped out the Glare Gang even have half of Leo's speed?
Marsen's body began to tremble with excitement.
Following a person like this...
The future looked incredibly bright!